


[FFXV] An unexpected answer

by anpathio



Series: FFXV - 活動文 [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gladnis, Ignis Scientia X Gladiolus Amicitia, M/M, イググラ, 伊格尼斯 X 格拉迪歐
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27936013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anpathio/pseuds/anpathio
Summary: Please read DAY2 story first.[FFXV] The Blessing of Not Knowinghttps://archiveofourown.org/works/27916363Gladio Week DAY 1Memory / Finding something unexpected / "Before the end, there's something I've got to get off my chest."Year 2, October, sunlight 6 hours a day (9AM-3PM).The Kingsglaive lead by Cor was recovering territories in Insomnia with Gladiolus and Others' help, scouting for resources and food.Iris found out the progress was very close to their former house and asked "Let's go home".Ignis, Prompto and one young Kingsglaive named Hilian joined the trip.Gladiolus found something unexpected in the ruins that once called home, perhaps the very answer he was looking for.
Relationships: Ignis Scientia/Gladiolus Amicitia
Series: FFXV - 活動文 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2012950
Kudos: 2
Collections: Gladio Week





	[FFXV] An unexpected answer

**Author's Note:**

> To my understanding, there are some subtle (or sometimes huge) differences in characters between Japanese ver. and English ver..  
> All my writings, characters and events are based on my Japanese ver. playthroughs plus official works + Ultimania 1&2 (also in Japanese).  
> I translate this fic into English using google translation ＆ DeepL, make some adjustments, delete or re-write the paragraphs which I can't translate.  
> Sorry if it seems out of characters and with grammar errors.

M.E.758  
YEAR 2，October, DAYLIGHT 6hrs（9AM-3PM）  
INSOMNIA

Sunshine becomes extremely precious in the waiting years, for people don't know when will they lose it completely.  
In the second year after the king entered the crystal and prayed for strength, king's subordinates organized the remaining people, and managed to push the front line into the royal capital Insomnia, despite countless setbacks and limited daylight.  
It's the hometown they had to abandoned a few years ago.

Establishing strongholds, searching and pulling resources together had become daily routines for the Kingsglaive, which was hastily formed by General Cor.  
As the headquarter was severely short staffed, Cor had to commission hunters to carry out numerous tasks.  
Each team searched the assigned area, and team leader from HQ would determine whether the area has been completed, so as to avoid repetitive waste.  
If there's still daylight after the submission, the hunters are allowed to search for useful objects as additional rewards, but they must return to the stronghold before dark to avoid danger.  
Most people obeyed the 3PM-rule, but some "hunters" with bold skills may ignore this rule.

「Hey! The 3PM-rule doesn't mean it's safe now. Everyone, hurry up.」  
「Mr. Ignis is amazing, you can walk on this road conditions like it's nothing!」  
『As long as I follow Gladio's footsteps. He always look for the safest path.』  
「The mutual compliments mode starts again! Hilian, please don't follow the bad examples! One stupid brother is enough!」  
「Hilian is their super fanboy, he just can't help it. Cut him some slack, Iris.」

Even though they were walking in the dangerous area, Gladiolus still felt like a kindergarten teacher who took a bunch of kids on a trip, and nobody stayed alert except Ignis.  
As the king's direct subordinates, they do not belong to the Kingsglaive.  
They have been supporting General Cor's various missions before.  
Usually they would not take part in these kind of scouting, until Iris noticed where the designated area had expanded.

「Let's go home, shall we? Just to take a look.」  
Maybe there's nothing left, but if they cannot witness with their own eyes, their minds won't be at peace.

Iris recalled the day when she fled in a hurry.  
After joining with Talcott and Jared who drove them from danger, Iris could only use maps to help them keep off the main road and to avoid attack.  
If it weren't for Monica and Dustin, who didn't have a shift that day and were not called to the citadel, they may not be able to leave the Insomnia.

Considering it's a personal matter, Gladiolus only planned to take Iris with him.  
Before a further decision, Ignis, who stood at the door and heard all of this, pushed his glasses and calmly said that he wanted to go too.  
『I may be blind, but I can help out.』

「Well, OK. Perhaps your stuff survived.」  
Before leaving Insomnia, Ignis withdrew from his apartment, and moved his belongings to Gladiolus's guest room.  
He planned to deal with it when the party returned from Altissia.

「Uhhhh, may I tag along? It's my day-off tomorrow.  
And I can help you with your stuff!」  
The timid voice belongs to Hilian, a young Kingsglaive.  
He only joined in the past two years, yet he often went on missions with them together.

Gladiolus was going to turn him down by saying something like 「This is not a field trip!」, but Iris persuaded him that it's good to have more helpers.  
After finalizing the details and which route to take, another sullen yet powerful threat came from the door.

Prompto raised the camera as if to record the injustice of this moment.  
「You are going to do something fun but not inviting me?  
I'm gonna tell Noctis about this!」

Gladiolus wanted to argue that this was really not the case, and Ignis silently held his hand to let him dispel this intend.  
『Let them join us.  
No matter what's left there, we could always bring something back.』

*************

「Wow! That tree survived!」  
Iris ran through what used to be a little park, toward the corner of the playground facilities.  
Although the tree was partially burnt down, it survived tenaciously on the inclined wall.  
「When I was about six, I was taller than it.  
I thought I could grow as quickly as my brother did, and yet this tree grew twice as tall in just one summer!」

「Too bad! At least now you are equal.  
Iris went to public schools, right?」  
Prompto remembered seeing Iris in a public school uniform back in the days, and was secretly happy for this friendliness.

「Well, daddy wanted me to make my own decision.  
I chose to go to public school like Noctis did, thinking that maybe I could get closer to him, we could share more common topics, and so on.」  
In retrospect, Iris thanked her father for the freedom and support he gave, not only in terms of schooling, but also in learning any skills she was interested.  
「But Noctis also got busy and we didn't have much chance to meet.  
Fortunately, Ignis was very thoughtful and often dropped by with handmade deserts and whereabouts on Noctis.  
After all, Brother is totally useless in this situation!」

「Hey! I was carrying on undercover work and secret missions during that period!  
I wasn't even in Insomnia most of the time back then.」  
Although he knew that Iris always likes to tease him, Gladiolus still wanted to defend himself from time to time.

Seeing that the streets around them became more and more familiar, he reminded everyone to get ready.  
Even though sunlight can disperse the daemons, and there was no monsters sighting as well in Insomnia, he has been preparing for the occurrence of mutations.

Entering from one corner, the exterior walls mostly collapsed, and some plants in the courtyard once flourished, but were now dying due to insufficient sunlight.  
The surrounding area was severely damaged by the shelling, the main house and adjacent buildings were dismantled to pieces.  
Gladiolus reminded Iris, who was about to jump up to the second floor, to be careful, after all, no one knew whether the structure was stable or not.  
"As long as the bulky old brother doesn't come up stairs, the walls will hold." replied by Iris. 

Volunteer to look for useful supplies, Hilian and Prompto teamed up and followed the instructions to where used to be the kitchen and storage room.  
Gladiolus took Ignis to the yard, where he thought it was safer and described what he saw to Ignis as usual.  
The stairs leading to the second floor were still standing, the master bedroom that was once Clarus's room was completely destroyed, and the study next door was probably too.  
Iris's room was on the side, which seemed to have better luck, his own room along with the guest room looked almost hopeless.

『It's a pity. I was very satisfied with the events that took place in your room.』  
Talking about shared secrets only each other would understand, Ignis's smile slightly comforted Gladiolus.

Carefully stepping up the stairs, Gladiolus chose to cross the master bedroom to the study  
－ Before his father's focus was completely transferred to the citadel, this was the room he spent the most time in －  
and tried to calmly adjust his expectations.

When Gladiolus was in Altissia, he was reminded by Cid and others, that the living proof left by Clarus were himself and Iris, not in the ashes of Insomnia.  
He took it as a comforting thought along the way, and now as they finally returned, what should one expect to find in this ruin?

After a few glances, the books and remnants that were once documents can be put aside.  
The desk was smashed by a part of the roof and the floor beneath it seemed pretty shaky.  
He walked along the pillars and edges as much as possible to avoid chain reaction.

However, turning a different direction, he intuitively felt that something under the desk drawer attracted his attention.  
He tried his best to get it out of the camouflage from the wooden furniture, and found that was a metal safe.  
From the perspective of size, it should only be able to store documents.  
Gladiolus tried several password combinations that his father might use, but none of them was the answer.

Thinking whether the safe could be opened by mere force, he heard Iris calling Hilian next door loudly, asking him to come up and help her move the fallen wardrobe.  
He decided to add up his and Iris' birthdays and input those numbers.

As it unlocked, Gladiolus couldn't help feeling relieved by his father's thoughtfulness - Clarus didn't have a preference for any child, and he was as important as Iris.  
There was not much in it, to be exact, it holds only one thing: a photo album, which contains family photos of these years.

He still remembered his father once said that Gladiolus grew up too fast, and he felt guilty for not recording his son's growth properly, so more photos were taken after Iris was born.

Looking through the hand-written notes by his father on the blank spaces, the trivial things in life that he didn't even remember all came back to him.  
And yet he can't help but ponder upon one little matter.

In a time when everyone thought the peace would go on forever, what was Clarus thinking, when he chose to put this everyday item in the safe?

Gladiolus shook the album and found no other pieces of words left by his father, but on the last blank page, Clarus wrote down a date, which was the last time the whole family had dinner together.  
They were about to leave Insomnia, and Clarus gathered all family members for a nice dinner in the restaurant he loved, a photo was taken, but it was not in the album.

Father must have brought the photo with him, all the way till the end.  
For some reason, Gladiolus believed it so deeply.

「Brother? What's wrong? You've been awfully quiet.」  
Iris' voice came from the door, which now only the frame remained. 

Gladiolus realized that he had been sitting on the edge of the half destroyed wall for some time.  
Fortunately, his was facing the yard, he quickly and quietly wiped his face and pretended that he was okay.  
He asked the others to collect the items they found and ready to gather in the yard.  
Gladiolus put the album back to the safe and walked into his room to inspect the damage and salvage anything useful.

『How was the search?』  
「Several of your clothes in waterproof bags were still intact, so I brought them.  
I have to give you credit for such a thorough protection.」  
『That's not what I meant.』

Ignis reached out and put his hand on Gladiolus's shoulder, as if to test whether he was honest or not.  
Gladiolus knew that this was a subtle gesture of expressing his concern.  
「Well, no regrets, and no more doubts.」

After startling news of father's passing, even though Gladiolus was able to comprehend his father's choice and made many adjustments,  
there was still a deep gap in his heart that he could not get over with.  
Now the answer has presented in the most unexpected yet perfect way, Gladio could finally find peace in mind.

The others came back with their trophies - if they could say that - and tried to redistribute the overall weight.  
Hilian found some expired honey, medicines and seasonings that should still be edible.  
Prompto dug up some maintenance tools that may be handy in the future from the storage room.  
Iris chose to pack some personal memorial objects and books for the children in the shelter.

「What did you salvage from the wreckage?」  
「A family album kept by father, there are some very memorable scenes.  
It's a pity that the photo of our last dinner was not included. 」  
「Oh, that's sad. I remembered Daddy was in a very good mood that day.」

Seeing the Amicitias suddenly fell into depression, Prompto felt that he should say something.  
「Now that you've returned, I could take a photo of you both, just like a family photo...」

「No.」  
Gladiolus reacted succinctly.  
Others thought he was going to reject the proposal, but he then added the reason that surprised everyone.  
「If it's going to be a family photo, it should include everyone here.」

「Of course! Ignis is family, so as Prompto and Hilian!!」  
「Uhhhh? Me?? Really?? May I be a part of Amicitia too? 」  
「Sure thing! Now get over here!! We Amicitias are particular about taking photos.」

Still a little hesitant, Hilian was rushed by Prompto, who started to set up the tripod, and happily stood beside Iris.  
Gladiolus guided Ignis to follow Prompto's professional instructions to face the camera.  
Just like every field trip, a group photo is necessary to record the event.  
Everyone in the photo was smiling genuinely from the bottom of their hearts.

「Before the end, there's something I've got to get off my chest.」  
Feeling a little burnt on his cheeks for some reason, Gladiolus secretly rejoiced that the dimming light made it hard to be noticed,  
and it also gave him the courage to finish the sentence.  
「Thank you all for becoming my family.」

This treasure will also be included in the album.  
Maybe one day he could show this to Noctis, the absent family member.

**Author's Note:**

> Headcanon & other settings  
> EOS would be in complete darkness in Year 5, that's when the chocobros decided to join Kingsglaive.  
> There will be a short fic for Year 5, about the last morning glow. 
> 
> Hilian is a character I created in comrades.  
> In a sense, he is Ignis & Gladio's son and also somewhat helped by Gentiana.
> 
> Iris knew about this and helped him in the 10-year period.  
> There will be a series of fics about him interacting with major characters when I finish "Long road toward the LIGHT".  
> (I called it project Episode Hilian, taking from the DLC concept)


End file.
